The Kanak independence struggle and the Matignon Accords

Kanak independence parties led by Jean-Marie Tjibaou boycotted the 1984 territorial elections, opening four years of violence between Kanak, settlers and the French state. It peaked on Ouvéa in 1988, when militants took gendarmes hostage in a cave and an army assault left 19 Kanak and two soldiers dead. The Matignon Accords followed in June, but in 1989 Tjibaou was shot dead on Ouvéa by an opponent of the deal.